Think different about practice

Think different about practice

“Execute your every gesture with élan and authority, whether it IS wrong or it FEELS wrong, and stand back from the gesture and consider it with detachment. A technical assessment of what you do is helpful: “I was in sync with the metronome,””I wasn’t in sync with the metronome.” Whether it’s right or wrong to be in sync with the metronome is another thought altogether: “I should be more strict.” “I should be more free.” “I hate the metronome.” Practicing, rehearsing, and performing can all be based on the choices you make or the judgments you pass. Oftentimes judgment implies compulsion, guilt, and shame, while choice implies responsibility, freedom, and love.”

De Alcantara, Pedro. Indirect procedures: a musician’s guide to the Alexander Technique. Oxford University Press, 1997.